Biohacking goes mainstream with uBiome

It might be said that this is the age of data collection: nearly everything these days is being measured, quantified, and analyzed. No where is that more true than the human body.

uBiome is a project designed to create the world’s largest microbiome data set. To participate, you fund the project at the IndieGoGo site here, and receive a swab sampling kit. You’ll then swab several locations on your body (nose, mouth, ear, GI tract, and genitals) and return the kit to the project researchers.

DNA sequencing will be used to analyze your samples. You will get a link to view your own personal profile, and there you’ll be able to see what your microbiome is. You’ll have access to personal analysis tools and data viewers so that you can anonymously compare your own data to crowd data as well as with the latest scientific research.

The human microbiome is thought to have major correlations with human health. Microbes perform essential functions such as digesting food and microbial activity might influence mammalian mood and behavior. The microbiome may well influence conditions like autism, depression, anxiety, gut disorders, eczema, and chronic sinusitis.